Service from a Stranger

Isn't it your dream to kick off your weekend with an out of the blue service project that involves cleaning a perfect stranger's house? It's not mine either.

This past week, as we were getting ready to move into the house in Fruit Heights, we encountered one BIG problem. It wasn't clean. It was a disaster zone. Everything that the Landlord had promised would be done, wasn't. I could go on forever telling you about all of the things that hadn't been done, but I won't. I'll put up one picture of what we walked into, and let you imagine it yourself.

Now that that is taken care of, you can feel our pain. We were supposed to have taken the house on the 18th, but here it was, the 25th, and we still couldn't move in. We couldn't wait any longer either. The boys had given their notice to the current Landlord, and had to be out by the 30th. All of the storage units, that the rest of the family was using from their move had to be emptied by the 28th, and we couldn't move anything.

When we realized that we couldn't start our long weekend of moving until the house was clean, we made the obvious choice... We set out to do it ourselves. We were not at all thrilled, but we had no other options. We bought the cleaning supplies and prayed for the best as we started out.

With everyone working, and going to school, it was left to John, Jared and me to get started by ourselves. After four hours of unsuccessfully trying to clean the kitchen, we felt defeated. There was no way we would be able to get it done on time. We took a break to get some lunch, and then we headed back to it along with John's mom who was now off of work.

Minute after precious minute raced by, and it seemed like we were still hardly denting the dirt. Only a miracle would help us now.

Then we heard it... A knock at the door... Who could it be? We didn't know anyone in the area, and yet there it was, a knock on the door. We opened the door to find a pleasant looking woman with a smile who said, "Hi, I'm from next door. Are you guys moving in?"

We so didn't have the time for this, but we continued the conversation with smiles, "We are. We're working on cleaning some things before we can move in though, and we have to finish it tonight," desperately trying to hint, subtly that she needed to leave.

"You shouldn't have to clean to move into a house. It should be cleaned for you."

Of course we realized this, and knowing what a predicament we were in, again tried to hint to the nice woman that she leave, "We know, but here we are. We've really got to get back to it."

Peering from around the door, the woman asked, "Would you like a hand or two? I'd be glad to come over and help."

Embarrassed by a mess that wasn't ours, we calmly declined her offer, and added that she didn't need to help us. This was not what she wanted to hear. After a few moments of debating back and forth, it was agreed that the woman could help us if she really wanted to. She came in and quickly surveyed the situation. "Let me run to my house and grab a few things. I'll be back in just a few minutes."

Moments later, she returned, and with her she brought a bucket and some more cleaning supplies. "where should I start?" she asked. "I called some of the other women from the Relief Society as well. They should be here soon." She added.

We were blown away. Within thirty minutes, over twenty new smiling faces were in our house, and were working away at cleaning the mess that was neither our nor their's. It was amazing! A couple of hours later, and most of the work was done. Bathrooms had been cleaned, the laundry room had been vaccuumed out, and scrubbed. Walls had been washed, cupboards had been scrubbed and disinfected, and all of the windows had been washed, inside and out. There were only a few smaller tasks left, and we could finish them ourselves.

With smiles and welcoming words, they each left a few at a time. All we were left with was a much better outlook on the job at hand, and an overwhelming feeling of love.

This act of love exemplifies a quote from Spencer W. Kimball, which says, ""Service to others deepens and sweetens this life while we are preparing to live in a better world. It is by serving that we learn to serve. When we are engaged in the service of our fellowmen, not only do our deeds assist them, but we put our own problems in a fresher perspective. When we concern ourselves more with others, there is less time to be concerned with ourselves! In the midst of the miracle of serving, there is the promise of Jesus that by losing ourselves, we find ourselves!" -Speaks Out on Service to Others, New Era, Mar. 1981, 47.

I don't even have the names of these wonderful women, but I know that they each understand the meaning of service. These women are righteous examples of losing oneself in service. I am so grateful that they are the kind of women that we are surrounding ourselves with, and I hope that I can have the opportunity to serve each of them in return.

What a way to meet the Relief Society!